By Anna Marie Valentine
The 15th Session of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Assembly recently convened in Abu Dhabi, marking the first international energy meeting of the year. The session was held under the theme, ‘Accelerating the Renewable Energy Transition – The Way Forward’.
The two-day event brought together ministers, high-level delegates from 170 Member States, academics, development banks, CEOs, and youth leaders to foster cross-sector collaboration in advancing the global energy transition.
Key discussions were focused on tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030, enhancing ambition in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0), supporting transitions in emerging economies, and leveraging innovative financial flows in developing countries.
The Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Hon. Nani Juwara led a team from the Ministry to attend the conference.
During his opening address, he highlighted critical challenges such as energy access, security, high costs, and climate change.
He assured the gathering that the Government of The Gambia with its partners are steadfast in the goal of achieving universal energy access by 2025. “This commitment begins with the launch of the Jambur Solar Plant in March 2024,” he said, adding that the innovative facility in Jambur, equipped with 23MW capacity and a 8MWh battery system, will be the first of many transformative projects in the country’s renewable energy journey.
“The Gambia has fully developed a 150MW regional solar pack power project, the first phase which is 50MW, is being tendered, and upon successful implementation of the 50MW project, the second phase, a 100MW, will also be tendered to scale up”.
Hon. Juwara called on the global energy community to unite and accelerate efforts toward a sustainable, and carbon-neutral future.
